Education
Gratz College Launches America’s First Master’s Degree in Antisemitism Studies
PHILADELPHIA, February 22, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Gratz College is launching the first Master of Arts degree program in Antisemitism Studies in the United States in Fall 2024. This ground-breaking program will help fill the vacuum of knowledge about antisemitism across Jewish, non-Jewish, and governmental organizations responsible for generating policy to combat prejudice at a time of unprecedented Jew hatred.
It will:
• Provide an academic home for those seeking to develop both a deep theoretical and practical understanding of antisemitism;
• Help generate new and impactful research on the factors that contribute to growing antisemitism and test interventions that can successfully combat it; and
• Arm educators and practitioners with the most effective antisemitism pedagogy and programming.
Through degree concentrations in teaching, advocacy and research, graduates of this program will be uniquely qualified for prominent careers in education, think tanks, government relations, public policy, and community organizations (Jewish and non-Jewish).
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is eager to see this program take shape:
“We’re seeing a dangerous rise in antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry across our country – and it’s more important than ever that Pennsylvanians be equipped with a thorough knowledge of our shared history and the skills to discern fact from fiction. Gratz College is already renowned for its Holocaust and Genocide Studies programs, and I am encouraged the College is expanding upon that work with a new Master’s degree in Antisemitism Studies. I wish the faculty, staff, and especially the inaugural class of Antisemitism Studies students, great success in their work.”
The program is directed by Dr. Ayal Feinberg, antisemitism studies expert and Director of the Center for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights at Gratz College. The program boasts a distinguished interdisciplinary faculty from academia and leading public advocacy organizations. Despite its infancy, the degree has been endorsed by nearly one hundred scholars and public policy experts from around the world. Professor of Political Science at Kalamazoo College R. Amy Elman asserts, “With an emphasis on operationalizing knowledge, informed teaching and ethical advocacy, Gratz’s innovative graduate program fulfills a deep need in countering antisemitism.”
Gratz’s Antisemitism Studies program is also establishing ground-breaking partnerships with the world’s most prominent Jewish organizations and programs to combat antisemitism in the classroom, on campus, and in professional workspaces. In the first such partnership, Gratz and The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History have joined forces to launch the National Education Fellowship on Antisemitism. The aim of this fellowship is to generate and assess paradigm-shifting middle and high school curriculum to reduce Jew-hatred and prejudice more broadly.
As an early adopter of online education, a 128-year history of Jewish learning, and home to the world’s largest graduate program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gratz is uniquely qualified to take on this necessary and overdue program.
On March 4, 2024, the master’s degree program will kick-off with a series of public lectures, including by scholars serving as affiliate faculty for the program. On April 2, 2024, Dr. Avinoam Patt, inaugural director of NYU’s Center for Study of Antisemitism and the Maurice Greenberg Professor of Holocaust Studies, will deliver a keynote lecture, titled, "Awake My People": Jewish Responses to Antisemitism in the Modern Period.” Additional talks will take place before the program officially begins in August.
Prospective students eager to start may apply now and take courses as early as March 2024 with electives in Antisemitism Studies already developed as a preview to the program.
Gratz College is grateful to the Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation for generously supporting the launch of the Antisemitism Studies program. Jay Myers, Board Chair, shared: “The Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation, a family foundation guided by Jewish American values, sees great worth in educating future generations about the roots of Antisemitism, and by doing so, working to combat it. This degree program will create scholars who can devote their talent to meet this challenge. Our Foundation is proud to support this work and by so doing, meet our obligation to help repair the world.”
Contact: lcohen@gratz.edu for more information.
Contact Information:Lori Cohen
Director of Marketing and Design
lcohen@gratz.edu
215-635-7300 x182
Original Source: Gratz College Launches America's First Master's Degree in Antisemitism Studies
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Beckett Collectibles Announces Auction of ‘Rarest Card in Yu-Gi-Oh! History’: The One-of-One ‘Tyler the Great Warrior’ Card
\"Tyler The Great Warrior\" Yu-Gi-Oh! Card
Beckett Collectibles Set to Auction \"Tyler The Great Warrior\" Yu-Gi-Oh! card
PLANO, Texas, April 20, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Next week, Beckett Collectibles will partner with eBay and Collectable to auction the world's rarest Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card—the ultra-rare, 1-of-1 "Tyler the Great Warrior" card.
At age 14, Tyler Gressle was stricken with a rare liver cancer and contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation with a request: He wanted to personally create a card for Yu-Gi-Oh!, the Japanese trading card game he loved. An avid drawer and Yu-Gi-Oh! player, this idea united two of his passions, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation saw merit in the concept and contacted Yu-Gi-Oh! and its creators.
The Gressle family was eventually connected with the company behind Yu-Gi-Oh!. Gressle designed the first draft of the card himself, and the late, celebrated Kazuki Takahashi took Gressle's designs and turned it into an official Yu-Gi-Oh! card. Takahashi chose the name— "Tyler the Great Warrior," and the concept went straight from printing to slab, with no human hands handling the finished card during production.
"Over the past 20 years of my involvement in trading card games (TCG), I have had the opportunity to see an abundance of rare and obscure cards," said Ian Mcdaries, Beckett's lead TCG verifier. "From world-famous cards such as the Pikachu Illustrator to the prestigious BGS 10 Alpha Black Lotus, 'Tyler the Great Warrior' represents the pinnacle of my TCG career. As someone who has collected and played Yu-Gi-Oh! since its genesis back in 2002, having the opportunity to be a part of Tyler's journey was a real privilege."
Since its printing, the card acquired a lore of its own, with collectors debating its existence. Today, it is the rarest Yu-Gi-Oh! Card in history. Gressle approached Beckett Collectibles to grade the card, and after two decades, "Tyler the Great Warrior" will pass to its next owner. The auction can be viewed here.
About Beckett Collectibles
The mission of Beckett Collectibles is to provide the most amazing products and services on the planet for collectors. The iconic brand was founded in 1979 by Dr. James Beckett as a pricing guide for classic American sports cards. The company has since expanded into several other collectible categories with its signature price guidance, grading services, and print and digital tools for enthusiasts and professionals in the hobby. With over 30 years of experience assembling the industry's most comprehensive collectibles database, Beckett is uniquely positioned to become the world's premier alternative assets platform.
Contact Information:Scott Roskind
Chief Visionary Officer
media@beckett.com
Original Source: Beckett Collectibles Announces Auction of 'Rarest Card in Yu-Gi-Oh! History': The One-of-One 'Tyler the Great Warrior' Card
Steps to Recovery Opens Outpatient Clinic in Lehigh Valley for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment
BRENTWOOD, Tenn., April 20, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Odyssey Behavioral Healthcare, a leading provider of mental health and addiction treatment services, proudly announces the opening of its newest outpatient location in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. As part of Odyssey's expanding network of services, the Steps to Recovery Lehigh Valley location was developed to meet the community's growing need for superior clinical treatment for mental health and substance use disorders.
Steps to Recovery offers a full continuum of care for addiction and mental health conditions, along with their sister program Silver Pines, that includes detoxification services, residential programs, and outpatient programs with supportive housing to step each client down successfully as they progress towards recovery.
According to the most recent information from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Pennsylvania in 2021 and OpenData PA:
- 1,814,000 adults in Pennsylvania have a mental health condition and 598,000 of those did not receive needed mental health care.
- Over the past 5 years, Pennsylvania ERs saw nearly 50,000 visits for opioid overdoses.
- In 2022, 3,018 Pennsylvanians died from accidental and undetermined overdoses.
"Pennsylvania has a high demand for outpatient substance use and mental health treatment services, and we are dedicated to serving the individuals in this community through the expansion of Steps To Recovery's locations to improve access to care," said Richard Clark, CEO of Odyssey. "This expansion furthers our mission of providing compassionate, evidence-based treatment in Pennsylvania, and throughout the country, and we're proud to support the individuals and families of this community in their recovery journey."
Steps To Recovery Lehigh Valley treats adults of all genders (18 years and older), offering a partial hospitalization program (PHP) and an intensive outpatient program (IOP) with day and evening options available. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) options and psychiatric medication management are offered at all levels of care, and programming is trauma-informed, individualized, and accredited by the Human Rights Campaign as a leader in providing LGBTQ+ services to support each person's success toward lasting recovery.
To learn more, visit the Steps To Recovery — Lehigh Valley web page.
About Odyssey Behavioral Healthcare
Odyssey Behavioral Healthcare, founded in 2015, has clinically diverse services treating adults, young adults, and adolescents with eating disorders, psychiatric disorders, dual diagnoses, and addictive disorders. Odyssey provides a comprehensive continuum of care that includes inpatient, detoxification, intensive residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and transitional living programs at over 35 locations and across nine states.
Contact Information:Vicki Smith
Chief Marketing Officer, Odyssey Behavioral Healthcare
vickis@odysseybh.com
615-864-8145
Original Source: Steps to Recovery Opens Outpatient Clinic in Lehigh Valley for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment
DISCOVERY+ Star Leon Logothetis’ New Book ‘Go Be Brave’: Empowering Mental Health & Self Confidence
LOS ANGELES, April 20, 2023 (Newswire.com) - On Tuesday, April 25, 2023, Netflix and Discovery+ host Leon Logothetis will release his new book, Go Be Brave: 24¾ Adventures for a Fearless, Wise, and Truly Magnificent Life. The book encourages readers to fight for their voice and find ways to free themselves from unhealthy labels we tend to place on ourselves and society, including mental health stigmas, bullying, and trauma. His own journey of self-discovery inspires Logothetis' book as he learned to be brave in order to overcome mental health obstacles in his own life.
His book comes at a crucial time, with over 50 million Americans experiencing a mental health illness. "The key is to be brave," says Logothetis. "I want readers to know that it is OK not to be OK. It's OK not always to be strong. Through my years traveling around the world with no money to my name, relying solely on the kindness of strangers, I found that true bravery is when you know you need to ask for help. When we speak our truth."
Go Be Brave takes readers on 24¾ adventures, with bravery exercises to start becoming more confident and courageous, arming them with the bravery skills to make life what they intended it to be. Leon, who also struggled with years of bullying, trauma, along with mental health issues, serves as the tour guide throughout.
- Why everyone should get mad: The five lessons of anger, towards understanding that anger is simply fear turned inside out.
- Learn to say "yes" to adventure, and embrace saying "no" to things that don't serve you.
- How finding a bravery buddy is the interpersonal connection we need to experience deep change.
- Start writing in a "truth diary" - where you get a safe place to finally speak your truth.
Logothetis has made a successful career out of inspiring others around the world through his popular NETFLIX show, The Kindness Diaries (now airing on Discovery+). He believes that bravery isn't something you either have or don't have — it's something you can learn over time with practice and dedication. "It takes courage every day to step into the unknown and speak our truths," says Logothetis. "But if we do it together, we can all become brave emotional warriors."
Go Be Brave offers readers an opportunity for transformation by guiding them through steps towards embracing vulnerability and taking risks in order to live with joy rather than fear. By teaching readers how to be brave enough to confront their issues head-on, the book provides a path forward for those struggling with fear and doubt.
Logothetis hopes this book will serve as a beacon of hope for those who feel trapped — giving them back control over their lives by helping them see that they can conquer anything they set their minds on. With Go Be Brave, readers can begin the process of healing while finding strength within themselves along the way.
For more information on Leon Logothetis and his new book Go Be Brave, visit www.leonlogothetis.com.
About Leon Logothetis
Before Leon Logothetis became a global adventurer, TV host, motivational speaker, and best-selling author, he was living an uninspired and disconnected life as a broker in London. On the outside, it looked like he had it all. But inside, he was chronically depressed. He decided to do something radical about it - give it all up for a life on the road. He embarked on an adventure around the globe, fueled by the receiving and giving of kindness. For over a decade, he has traveled to over 100 countries and to every continent. He's documented his experiences through his best-selling books and TV shows. Leon has devoted his life to inspiring the world with his message of kindness and hope.
Contact Information:Paige Dungan
Literary Publicist
pdungan@thefrontporchcollective.co
479-856-4394
Original Source: DISCOVERY+ Star Leon Logothetis' New Book 'Go Be Brave': Empowering Mental Health & Self Confidence
